When Joselu lines up for Al Gharafa in the Qatar Stars League for the first time, he may wonder if it all really happened.
One minute he was back at Real Madrid after over a decade away. The next he wasn’t.
The 34-year-old striker scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 49 appearances — with just 18 of those being starts — for Madrid last season while on loan from second-division Espanyol. Two of those goals, as an 81st-minute substitute, sent Madrid to a Champions League final they would win from a semi-final they were losing when he came on.
But that does not begin to capture the absurdity of his brief, brilliant second spell with Madrid.
His first spell was not so brilliant, and even briefer — playing twice as a substitute for a combined 18 minutes.
Signed from Celta Vigo at 19 in summer 2009, he scored in both appearances in 2011, one in May the other in December, after being promoted from the ‘B’ team. But that was it for him as a Madrid player until he was sold after the 2011-12 season, and his career in the years that followed did not suggest he would be returning to the Santiago Bernabeu anytime soon.
Unremarkable stints with three clubs in Germany were followed by poor ones at Stoke City and Newcastle United in England. Never mind doing it on a wet and windy night in Stoke; he couldn’t even make it off the bench for an away game against fourth-division Stevenage.
Perhaps too much was made of those struggles in English football.
By the time Joselu rejoined Madrid on a season-long loan last summer, he had proven himself as a reliable goalscorer even for relegation-bound sides in Alaves and Espanyol. He had scored 11 La Liga goals or more in each of the previous five seasons and only Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona and Madrid’s Karim Benzema got more than his 16 in 2022-23, despite him playing for an Espanyol side who finished second-bottom in the 20-team division.
The closest he got to Real Madrid in his 11 years away was a trip to Paris, as a fan, to see their win in the 2021-22 Champions League final against Liverpool. When he told the audience at his unveiling 12 months later that he had “dreamed of this moment” since the day he left the Spanish capital to join Hoffenheim, he meant it.
Joselu impressed for a struggling Espanyol team (Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
“I’m not here to replace anyone,” he said, when asked about the departure of fellow striker Benzema, Madrid’s second all-time top scorer, to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad. “I’m here to do my bit, (put in place) everything I’ve learned over the years, to enjoy myself, to do everything the coach asks me to do. We all know Karim’s level at this club, he is one of the best strikers in the world. I come to do a different kind of job.”
That job became clear as last season progressed.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti used midfielder Jude Bellingham, another new arrival, in an advanced role after he wasn’t given the top striker he asked for to directly replace Benzema. He called on Joselu, mostly from the bench, when games required his 6ft 3in (191cm) frame and a poacher in front of goal.
At times, it seemed as if Joselu was embarrassed to be playing alongside Madrid’s stars. He actually apologised to the Bernabeu crowd after finally scoring in one Champions League game against Napoli of Italy last November in which he had missed several chances. Bellingham had to physically push him forward to ensure he enjoyed his moment.
But he deserved to be there. That much is clear from his La Liga shot map from last season.
Joselu scored 10 goals from an expected goals (xG) figure of 10. He was clinical from close range and showed his ability to get into dangerous positions — all but five of his shots were from inside the penalty box.
Nowhere was that more evident than in that epic Champions League semi-final second leg at home against Bayern Munich.
The way Joselu latched onto an error from the otherwise excellent Manuel Neuer to draw the sides level in the 88th minute was the perfect illustration of seizing the moment. His stoppage-time winner was another example of ‘Right place, right time.’
A picture of him at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris before that 2022 final circulated on social media, as did a post from August 2012 in which Joselu asked, “Does anyone have a good (online) link to watch Madrid?”. “My dreams aren’t as beautiful as what happened,” he said in the aftermath of that comeback win against Bayern.
He played only a small part in the final against Borussia Dortmund, coming on in the 85th minute with Madrid 2-0 up (the final scoreline) to widespread applause from their supporters. But he had done his job in securing a La Liga-Champions League double for the club he supports, winning them their record-extending 36th and 15th titles in each competition.
Joselu celebrates his important contribution in the Champions League semi-final (David Ramos/Getty Images)
Things were changing even then.
Two days after that final, Madrid at last announced the signing of Kylian Mbappe after more than a decade of chasing the current France captain. Endrick was already due to arrive this summer, once he turned 18 — Madrid had announced their deal for the now Brazil international forward in December 2022. If he stayed, Joselu would go from being the only centre-forward in Ancelotti’s squad to third-choice.
So who could blame him for taking one last payday, having turned 34 in March?
His destination in the Gulf states is unusual, despite the recent recruiting drive by neighbouring Saudi Arabia, and the quality of football far from what he experienced last season — Opta’s power rankings don’t have the Qatar Stars League in the top 50 domestic competitions worldwide. But unsurprisingly, sources close to him, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, say he has been offered by far the best salary of his career.
Maybe it adds to the mystique of Joselu at Madrid?
Like a mirage in the desert, he appeared when they needed him most — but it was never meant to last.
(Top photo: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images)
